The present invention relates to an electrical connector having a suction member attached thereto for suctioning and conveying the connector. The present invention further relates to a suction member, and a method of mounting an electrical connector.
When an electrical connector is conveyed to a mounting position of a circuit board or the like, a suction member may be temporarily attached onto the electrical connector, so that a suctioning device suctions the suction member to convey the electrical connector. More preferably, the suctioning device is capable of directly suctioning a part of the electrical connector without the suction member.
In general, the suctioning device approaches the electrical connector from above. Accordingly, when the electrical connector has an opening in an upper surface thereof, and the upper surface does not have an enough area for suctioning, it is necessary to attach the suction member. The suction member may be temporarily attached to the electrical connector until, for example, the electrical connector is conveyed to a specified mounting position on a circuit board. After the electrical connector is connected to the circuit board with solder, the suction member may be detached from the electrical connector.
Patent Reference has disclosed a conventional suction member. In an electrical connector disclosed in Patent Reference, terminals are arranged in a housing in a longitudinal direction thereof on a longer side relative to a width direction thereof. The terminals have connecting sections so as to connect by soldering to a circuit board when the electrical connector is disposed on the circuit board. The housing has an opening portion in an upper surface thereof for receiving a mating connector.
Patent Reference: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-335231
The conventional suction member as a suction cover is attached to the upper surface of the housing, and may be made of a metal plate. The conventional suction member has a relatively wide section to cover the opening portion and two types of attaching legs provided on both end portions of the relatively wide section in a longitudinal direction thereof. With the attaching legs, the conventional suction member is attached to the housing.
As disclosed in Patent Reference, when the connector includes the housing with the opening portion in the upper surface thereof, and the terminals are connected to the circuit board by soldering at the connecting sections thereof, the housing tends to deform upon soldering and receiving heat. When the housing thermally expands in the longitudinal direction thereof, an upper surface side tends to expand by a length smaller than that of a bottom surface side due to the opening portion. As a result, the bottom surface side of the housing, which has a larger expansion length, tends to warp and deform so as to lift from the circuit board at the both end portions in the longitudinal direction. Accordingly, it is difficult to securely connect the terminals to the circuit board at the lifted portions. In Patent Reference, the conventional suction member is attached to the housing for reinforcing there housing, thereby preventing the warping and deformation.
In the conventional suction member disclosed in Patent Reference, the conventional suction member is attached to the housing only at the both end portions in the longitudinal direction thereof. Accordingly, when the terminals are connected to the circuit board with solder at the connecting sections thereof, the housing receives heat upon soldering and tends to deform such that the both end portions move away from the circuit board. the middle portion moves away from the suction member since the suction member is not secured thereon at all. To prevent the problem, the attaching legs of the suction member at the both ends have to be extremely strong, but this may be hardly achievable as long as the sucking member is made from sheet metal. Unless the attaching legs are not sturdily attached to the housing, even if the thickness of the suction member is increased, it would be difficult to fully prevent the warping and deformation of the housing.
In view of the above, there is provided an invention, an object of which is to provide an electrical connector with a suction member and the suction member, in which the suction member may be made from thin sheet metal and whereby it is possible to fully prevent the warping and the deformation of the housing. An object of the invention also includes a method of implementation of the electrical connector.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.